Peraton Labs is seeking a poly cleared Linux Systems Administrator to support the infrastructure team for a cleared research and development program in Maryland. This role will support the implementation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and daily operations of Linux-based systems used across classified and unclassified research environments.
The ideal candidate for this role is a hands-on systems administrator with strong Linux experience, solid troubleshooting skills, scripting ability, and the ability to support users, researchers, engineers, and customer stakeholders in a fast-paced R&D environment. This position will help ensure research systems, servers, storage, networking components, and supporting infrastructure remain reliable, secure, and available for mission-focused prototype development and experimentation.
This position requires full-time on-site work at a customer site near College Park, MD.
Key responsibilities may include
- Provide day-to-day administration, maintenance, monitoring, and troubleshooting for Linux-based IT systems
- Support implementation, configuration, operation, and sustainment of servers, workstations, storage, network-connected devices, and research infrastructure
- Provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 support for system access, user issues, software problems, hardware issues, and operational incidents
- Diagnose and resolve Linux system, application, storage, network, and user access issues
- Manage user accounts, permissions, authentication, system access, and basic security controls
- Install, configure, patch, and update Linux operating systems, software packages, tools, and system services
- Support Windows systems administration as needed within mixed Linux/Windows environments
- Develop scripts and automation using Bash, Python, or similar tools to improve system operations, monitoring, reporting, and repeatable administration tasks
- Monitor system performance, availability, logs, storage utilization, and resource consumption
- Support system capacity analysis, resource planning, and performance optimization
- Support backup, recovery, log management, archive, and system restoration procedures
- Assist users, researchers, and engineers with accessing and using IT systems in classified and unclassified environments
- Escalate issues, communicate system status, and coordinate problem resolution with internal teams, customer stakeholders, and subcontractor personnel
- Maintain system documentation, operational procedures, configuration records, and troubleshooting notes
- Support security posture activities, including patching, vulnerability remediation, endpoint protection, and audit support
*This position may be eligible for an increased sign-on bonus. Eligibility, bonus amount, and applicable terms and conditions will be discussed during the recruiting process*
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QualificationsMinimum Qualifications
- Minimum of 3+ years of experience with a Bachelors degree, 1+ years of experience with a Masters degree, or a PhD in Computer Science, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline. In lieu of a Bachelors, an additional 4 years of experience is required for a total of 7+ years relevant experience.
- Strong experience with Linux systems administration
- Experience with Windows system administration in mixed operating system environments
- Experience supporting IT systems in programs or environments of similar scope, scale, and complexity
- Experience with Linux installation, configuration, patching, troubleshooting, user support, and system maintenance
- Experience with scripting/automation using Python, Bash, or similar
- Understanding of basic networking concepts, including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routing, switching, firewalls, ports, and network troubleshooting
- Experience support client/server systems, storage devices, network-connected devices, and user workstations
- Ability to provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 support, diagnose issues, and communicate status clearly
- Strong communication skills and ability to work as part of an integrated team with customers, subcontractors, and Peraton personnel.
- US Citizenship is a requirement for this position
- This position requires an active/current TS/SCI w/ Polygraph
Desired Additional Qualifications
- Experience supporting classified research environments, DoD/IC customers, or national security programs
- Experience with Linux distributions such as RHEL, CentOS, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, or similar platforms
- Experience with system hardening, patch management, vulnerability remediation, audit support, STIGs, ACAS/Nessus, SCAP, or RMF-related activities
- Experience with virtualization platforms such as VMware, KVM, Proxmox, Hyper-V, OpenStack, or similar tools
- Experience with storage technologies such as NAS, SAN, RAID, NFS, SMB, iSCSI, object storage, or backup appliances
- Experience with configuration management or automation tools such as Ansible, Puppet, Chef, SaltStack, or Terraform/OpenTofu
- Experience with monitoring, logging, and alerting tools such as Splunk, ELK/OpenSearch, Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix, Nagios, or similar tools
- Experience with network troubleshooting of complex issues, such as IPSec, VXLan, FWs, Load Balancing and DNS
- Expertise with Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and thin client architectures
- Experience with Security administration to include enterprise antivirus, malware detection, intrusion detection, and audit solutions
- Experience with open source tools, such as Snort
- Experience with containers or DevOps environments such as Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, GitLab, GitHub, Jenkins, or CI/CD pipelines
- Knowledge of cloud or private cloud technologies such as OpenStack, AWS, Hadoop, Cloudera, or similar platforms
- Experience supporting operational mission partners, research teams, software developers, or cyber/network experimentation environments
- Ability to establish and maintain strong working relationships across technical teams, customer stakeholders, and program leadership
Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.
Target Salary Range$104,000 - $166,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. EEOEEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline, plus 3+ years of relevant experience
- Master’s degree in a related technical discipline plus 1+ years of relevant experience, or PhD in a related technical discipline
- In lieu of a bachelor’s degree, 7+ years of relevant experience
- Strong Linux systems administration experience
- Windows systems administration experience in mixed operating system environments
- Experience supporting IT systems in programs or environments of similar scope, scale, and complexity
- Experience installing, configuring, patching, troubleshooting, providing user support for, and maintaining Linux systems
- Scripting or automation experience using Python, Bash, or similar tools
- Understanding of networking concepts including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routing, switching, firewalls, ports, and network troubleshooting
- Experience supporting client/server systems, storage devices, network-connected devices, and user workstations
- Ability to provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 support, diagnose issues, and communicate status clearly
- Strong communication skills and ability to work with customers, subcontractors, and internal personnel
- US citizenship
- Active/current TS/SCI with Polygraph clearance
- Experience supporting classified research environments, DoD/IC customers, or national security programs
- Experience with RHEL, CentOS, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, or similar Linux distributions
- Experience with system hardening, patch management, vulnerability remediation, audit support, STIGs, ACAS/Nessus, SCAP, or RMF activities
- Experience with virtualization platforms such as VMware, KVM, Proxmox, Hyper-V, or OpenStack
- Experience with storage technologies such as NAS, SAN, RAID, NFS, SMB, iSCSI, object storage, or backup appliances
- Experience with configuration management or automation tools such as Ansible, Puppet, Chef, SaltStack, or Terraform/OpenTofu
- Experience with monitoring, logging, and alerting tools such as Splunk, ELK/OpenSearch, Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix, or Nagios
- Experience troubleshooting complex network issues involving IPSec, VXLAN, firewalls, load balancing, and DNS
- Expertise with VDI and thin client architectures
- Experience with enterprise antivirus, malware detection, intrusion detection, and audit solutions
- Experience with open-source tools such as Snort
- Experience with containers or DevOps environments such as Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, GitLab, GitHub, Jenkins, or CI/CD pipelines
- Knowledge of cloud or private cloud technologies such as OpenStack, AWS, Hadoop, or Cloudera
- Experience supporting operational mission partners, research teams, software developers, or cyber/network experimentation environments
- Ability to establish and maintain strong working relationships across technical teams, customer stakeholders, and program leadership
Peraton Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Peraton and has not been reviewed or approved by Peraton.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare offerings are described as broad, including medical, dental, vision, mental health support, and specialty programs like virtual physical therapy and surgical/cancer care navigation. Medical coverage is also characterized as a standout part of the overall package in terms of perceived quality.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support includes a 401(k) with employer matching and is repeatedly positioned as a strong component of total rewards. The 401(k) benefit is frequently singled out as one of the most valued parts of the package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off benefits are positioned as robust, including PTO, holidays, paid sick days, and floating holidays, with some roles offering notably generous accrual. Leave breadth is reinforced by related programs such as short/long-term disability and bereavement leave.
Peraton Insights
What We Do
Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.
Why Work With Us
We are fearlessly solving the world’s most complex challenges to keep people safe and secure. You can be a part of protecting and promoting that freedom around the world.






